Broken-Hearted Girl
by sobia.ezria.pll
Summary: Aria hasn't seen or talked to Ezra in 2 weeks since he left to meet his son. Aria is confused. She doesn't know if Ezra still loves her, and to make matter worse, she feels a connection towards Wesley, Ezra's brother. What will happen when Ezra comes back? Ezria and some Wesria. Takes place after 3x20. The idea for this story was from EzriaFan123.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! so here's a new story I'm writing. EzraFan123 came up with the story, I'm just helping write it. Review to let me know what you think, and what you would like to see happen in the story! Enjoy :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of the character in this story. (Although it would be pretty awesome if I did) **

Chapter 1:

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Aria had last seen or talked to the love of her life. Two weeks since he'd found out that she'd been keeping a huge secret from him. Two weeks since he'd left her alone in the street as she watched him drive to Delaware to meet his son for the first time.

Aria felt terrible. She hadn't left his apartment in days. She sat there, thinking of how wrong it was that she didn't tell Ezra the truth. She had kept something so big from him, and now for all she knew he hated her! She couldn't blame him, if he had done something like that to her, she would be furious.

She continued to lay there, staring at the ceiling until she heard the door open, and a familliar face walked in.

"Wes? What are you doing here?" Aria sat up, hastily wiping her tears.

"Umm..Ezra said I could use the place, while he was gone, but if you want, I could go somewhere else..." Wes trailed off, looking sympathetically at Aria.

"No, it's okay. I was just leaving, anyways." Aria got up to leave.

"No, wait. Do you want to talk about it?" Wes asked, concerned.

Aria looked at him for a moment and then burst into tears. "I think we're over." she said, sobbing uncontrollable.

Wes walked over and, not knowing what to do, wrapped his arms around her. "No way. He loves you, I know he does. Have you seen the way he looks at you?" he said, trying to console her as she cried into his shirt.

"But I kept such a big secret from him, and he hasn't answered my calls or texts in two weeks." Aria replied.

"His life just got flipped upside down. He's probably really confused. Trust me." Wes said.

"I hope you're right." Aria said, sniffling. She gently pulled away from Wes, and there was a moment of awkwardness.

"I'm sorry." she mumbled. "I shouldn't burden you with my problems. I'm just going to head out." she said, walking to the door.

"You know..." Wes started, stopping her in the doorway."I make really good lasagne, but I don't think I can finish it all by myself." he said, smiling.

Aria looked at him for a moment, and then smiled. "I don't know...I don't think cooking seems to be a strength in the Fitz family. Let's see if you can prove me wrong."

So together, they started working on dinner, talking and laughing the entire time. Aria felt happy for the first time in days.

**So this is the first chapter. I promise that in the future there will be Ezria too. Let me know what you think. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you're all liking the story so far. Enjoy the chapter! Don't forget to review! :)**

Chapter 2:

"So have you heard anything from Ezra?" Wes asked. It had been two days since he'd found her in Ezra's apartment.

"Yeah, he called me this morning. He's coming back in three days and we're having dinner." Aria replied.

"You don't look too excited." Wes observed.

"No, I am. I'm just worried. What if he breaks up with me when we have dinner?" Aria said, biting her lip as she tried not to cry.

"He won't, trust me." Wes said.

"How do you know?"

"Because he loves you."

Aria looked at him for a moment. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Wes asked, confused.

"You and Ezra both. You know exactly what to say to make me feel better." Aria said, smiling.

"I guess it runs in the family...just like our awful cooking." The two of them laughed, remembering how Wesley had burnt his lasagne a few nights ago.

When they had finished laughing, they were quiet for a moment, and then Wesley leaned over and kissed Aria.

"Wes, we can't." Aria pulled away immediately, shocked.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what-" Wes started.

"Wes, I love your brother." Aria stated slowly.

"I know, I know. I didn't mean to do that. I don't know what just happened. Can we please just forget about it?" Wes asked.

Aria hesitated for a moment. "Sure, I guess." She didn't want to keep any more secrets from Ezra, especially since he had just found out she had been keeping the fact that he had a son from him. But Wes had been there for her these past few days, and she felt that she owed it to him.

"I, um, I gotta go." Wes said, storming away.

Aria stared after him, confused. How had that just happened? How had she not realized that he liked her? And, most importantly, why did she wish she'd let him kiss her?

**Seems like things are always complicated for Ezria. Next chapter, we're going to see Ezra. :)**

**P.S. Yes I know this chapter is tiny, and the next one is definitely going to be a lot longer. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope you're all enjoying the story! If you have any suggestions, feel free to PM me or leave them in you reviews. Enjoy the chapter! :)**

Chapter 3:

"Wes, we need to talk about last night. Call me." Aria left a message on his voicemail. He hadn't been returning her calls since the kiss, and she really needed to talk to him about it. She didn't think she could keep this secret from Ezra, and she wanted to at least give Wes a heads-up. If only he would return her damn calls!

Aria waited until 7:10 for him to call, but she had to leave for Ezra's if she wanted to be on time. So she got in her car and drove the 20 minutes to his apartment. As she stepped into the elevator, her phone started ringing. The caller I.D. said Wes.

"Hey Wes, I-" Aria started but Wes cut her off.

"Look, I just wanted to say that you should tell Ezra what happened. I don't want to come between you guys and I still don't know why I kissed you, but I did and I feel really bad. But it'll only make things worse if we keep this from him and he finds out. Do you want me to be there when you tell him?" Wes rushed out, barely pausing to breath.

Aria took a moment to let his words sink in. "It's okay, I'll tell him. Everything will be fine, and don't worry, I forgive you." she assured him before hanging up.

Aria walked to apartment 3B and stood there for a moment, mentally preparing herself for what would surely be a very long night.

***PLL***

Aria and Ezra were sitting on the couch, eating Chinese takeout. So far, the date had been nothing but awkward. Aria was sitting there waiting for Ezra to dump her, but Ezra didn't say a word about Delaware or Maggie or Malcolm. They made polite conversation which ended in silence. Finally, Aria couldn't take it anymore.

"Ezra?"

"Yeah?" Ezra asked, looking over at Aria.

"Can you please just get it over with?" Aria begged him.

"Get what over with?" Ezra asked, confused.

Aria stared at him. "Break up with me."

Ezra almost choked on his takeout. "WHAT?"

Aria just stared at him, at a loss of words.

"You thought I was going to break up with you?" Ezra asked, incredulously.

"Well...yeah. I kept such a big secret from you. Plus, you haven't returned any of my calls or texts since you left." Aria pointed out.

"Aria, my world was turned upside down. I was so confused and I didn't know what to do. I just needed to sort things out." Ezra explained. "Did you really think that I would break up with you? I love you!"

Aria's eyes filled with tears. "I love you too. I was just- I was so scared." she said.

"I know. But nothing's ever going to keep up apart. In fact, I was wondering if you would be willing to meet Malcolm. He's staying with me next weekend and I really want the two of you to get to know each other." Ezra looked nervous, as he waited for her response.

"I would love to!" Aria said excitedly, throwing her arms around him, and pressing her lips to his.

When she kissed Ezra, Aria was reminded of Wesley and immediately felt guilty. She broke away from Ezra, who looked at her, confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked, gently.

"There's something I need to tell you but I'm not sure how you'll take it." Aria said, biting her lip, nervously. She kind of wished Wes was here to help her.

"You can tell me anything, you know that." Ezra said, squeezing her hand, reassuringly.

Aria took a deep breath and blurted out "Wes kissed me."

Ezra stared at her, uncomprehendingly. Aria waited for the words to sink in. As she watched, his blank look turned to confusion, which turned to shock, followed by anger.

"HE WHAT?!" Ezra yelled.

Aria winced. She'd never heard Ezra yell like that, and it kind of scared her. "Wait, Ezra, listen-"

"Wes?! My own little brother! That little-" Ezra started, but Aria cut him off.

"Ezra, it was a mistake. I talked to him and he told me how sorry he was, that it was a mistake, and he didn't want to come between us. In fact, he insisted that I tell you. He doesn't want anything to come between us." Aria said, hastily.

This did little to calm Ezra. "That still doesn't make it right! He's my little brother and he knows that you're my girlfriend! Just because I'm out of town, doesn't mean you can kiss whoever you want!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn't kiss him, he kissed me! And I stopped him!" Aria defended herself.

"Yeah, and what about Jason?" Ezra countered.

"Jason was a long time ago, and again, he kissed me." Aria said, defensively.

"But you didn't stop him!" Ezra said, angrily.

"You know what, Ezra? If you think I'm just some kind of slut that goes around kissing every guy I see, then think again! I'm so done with this!" Aria said, angrily. Before Ezra could respond, she grabbed her jacket and purse and stormed out of his apartment, heading towards the elevator, tears spilling out of her eyes. She angrily pushed the elevator button repeatedly, willing the doors to open, when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned around, ready to scream some not-so-nice things at Ezra, when he pushed her against the wall and crushed his lips against hers. At first, Aria tried to push him away, but soon her anger was replaced by desire as she kissed him back forcefully, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ezra's hands went down to her waist and he pulled her closer to him.

After what seemed like eternity, but had really been a few minutes, they broke apart, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that." Ezra said, quietly.

"No, it's okay. You had every right to be mad. You were going through all this stuff with your son, and you come back to find out that your brother kissed your girlfriend" Aria replied guiltily, unable to meet his eyes.

"Aria, it's not your fault that Wes kissed you. I shouldn't blame you for that, especially because you stopped him." Ezra put his hand on her chin, gently lifting it up so he could look into her eyes. "Forgive me?"

Aria responded by pulling his face down towards hers and kissing him again.

**I promised Ezria, and here it is. Let me know what you think in the reviews, and if there's anything you want to see in future chapters, let me know by PMing of reviewing. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy the chapter! Don't forget to review :)**

Chapter 4:

Aria was snuggled against Ezra's strong chest, his arms around her, struggling to stay awake. They were watching a movie, and Aria was determined to stay awake through the entire thing, although she knew it was only a matter of time before she drifted off because they were only twenty minutes in, and there was at least an hour and a half more.

"Tired yet?" Ezra teased.

"Nope, I'm good" Aria lied. She would not give him the satisfaction of being right. She had to stay awake, no matter what.

"If you say so." Ezra said, smirking. He knew shewouldn't last, which made her even more determined to prove him wrong. Aria was nothing, if not stubborn.

Half an hour later, Aria was slowly drifting off to sleep, when a movement jerked her back to full consciousness. She looked up and saw Ezra watching her, laughing.

"I need coffee." Aria said, sitting up.

"I think that qualifies as cheating." Ezra pointed out.

Aria pouted. "But..."

"Sorry, but if you want coffee, you're going to have to admit defeat." Ezra said, smiling triumphantly.

"No way! I'm going to win! It's just another hour." Aria said, laying her head back on Ezra's chest and staring at the screen.

Ten minutes later, Aria was snoring softly against Ezra's chest. Ezra chuckled to himself as he leaned over and grabbed a blanket, gently putting it around Aria.

**LATER:**

Ezra awoke to a knock on his door. He gently got up, carefully trying not to wake Aria, who was still leaning against him. He opened the door to find none other than his little brother, Wes, standing in the hallway.

"Hey." Wes said, nervously.

Ezra stared at him angrily for a moment and then punched him. Wes swore as his hands went straight to his lips. Blood trickled onto his fingers.

"EZRA?!" Ezra turned around to see Aria standing behind him, staring at Wes, horrified.

"What, so now you're going to defend him?" he asked, furious.

"Of course not! But look at him! There's blood all over his face! I get that you're mad and all, but he's still your brother." Aria exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's _my_ _brother_, but that didn't stop him from kissing _my_ girlfriend" Ezra argued.

"He's right. It's my fault." Wes said, breathing hard.

Aria looked between the brothers. "Both of you, inside, now." Aria said firmly, daring either of them to disagree. Neither of them did and they both filed inside the apartment and sat down. Aria grabbed the first aid kit, and handed it to Wes. "Go clean yourself up in the bathroom. Hurry up, and come right back here."

When Wes left, Aria turned to Ezra. "Care to explain?"

Ezra stayed silent, glaring at the bathroom door.

Aria tried a different approach. She walked up to Ezra, and took his hands. "Look, I don't want to come between you and your brother. I just want us all to sort this out so we can all be happy. Please?" Aria looked into his eyes, pleadingly.

Ezra sighed. "Fine, maybe I could have handled that a little differently." he admitted grudgingly.

"That's a start." Aria encouraged. "So what happened? Because, when I woke up, I heard Wes swearing and I saw blood."

"I opened the door and he was standing there so I punched him." Ezra said, staring at the floor.

"Did he say why he was here...before that happened?" Aria asked.

Ezra shook his head, not meeting her eyes.

At that moment, Wes walked out. "Okay, I'm here."

Aria turned towards him. "Not to be rude but, why are you here?"

"I came to apologize. What I did wasn't right, and I deserved that punch. I totally won't hold it against you." Wes said, sincerely.

Ezra looked up. "Why did you do it?" he asked.

"I don't know. I guess I was..." Wes trailed off, looking suddenly embarrassed.

"You were?"

"I guess I was jealous." Wes said. It was his turn to stare at the floor.

"You? Jealous of me?!" Ezra asked, incredulously. "Bro, you have everything! A house, a nice car, a good education-"

"DON'T YOU GET IT?! None of that stuff is really mine, it's mom's! And you were always the one that found people who cared about you. Everyone always looks at me and automatically assumes I'm a spoiled rich kid. I can never know if people really like me or my money. You don't have to deal with that, anymore! You get to live a normal life, have a great girlfriend and awesome friends that like you for who you are, not what you have. I would give anything to have that!" Wes said, frustrated.

Ezra was quiet for a moment. "Wes, I had no idea-"

"Of course you didn't! Because you left me to deal with mom all by myself! It never occurred to you that I wanted to go with you?!" Wes asked, angrily.

"Wes, I wanted you to come with me, believe me I did. But I didn't know where I was going at the time. I didn't have any plans. When I bought this apartment, I tried to call you but mom convinced me that your life was great, and that you didn't want to come live with me. I know I was stupid to believe her, but we both know how manipulative mom can be." Ezra explained.

Wes looked at his brother for a moment. "Really? You tried to get me out of there?" he whispered.

"Of course! I promised you before leaving that I would try to help you out. I wouldn't break my promise to you." Ezra said, solemly. The two brothers hugged each other.

Aria, who was pretty sure the boys had forgotten she existed, quietly snuck out of the apartment. Her work there was done.

**Aww, bromance! I hope you liked this chapter. Next chapter, Aria's going to meet Malcolm. :) (Don't forget to review)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 5:

Aria stood outside Ezra's apartment. Today was the day. Today, she was going to meet the seven-year-old boy that called her boyfriend "Daddy". She wanted more than anything to walk back to her car and go home, but she knew she couldn't do that. She had promised Ezra that she would meet Malcolm today, and she knew how disappointed he'd be if she bailed on him. So Aria took a deep breath and opened the door.

Ezra and Malcolm were standing over a train set, concentrating hard on where each piece went. When the door opened, the two of them looked up. Ezra smiled when he saw his girlfriend and got up to greet her, his son following close behind, looking at Aria curiously.

"Hey babe." Aria said, giving Ezra a peck on the lips.

"Hey. Are you ready?" Ezra asked her, quietly.

Aria nodded, although she felt anything but.

Ezra leaned down to Malcolm's height and said. "Hey buddy, this is Aria."

Malcolm stepped forward and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you." he said, smiling.

Aria smiled back. "Nice to meet you too, honey." she bent down and shook his hand. His brown eyes were identical to Ezra's, and she automatically felt better looking into them.

"Dad, can we go to the park now?" Malcolm asked, tugging on Ezra's leg.

Ezra looked at Aria, who shrugged. "Sure, let's go bud." Aria laughed as Malcolm started running around, grabbing his jacket, shoes, and toys.

**LATER:**

At the park, Ezra pushed Malcolm and Aria on the swings, both of them screaming to go higher. It was times like this where Ezra marvelled at how adorable Aria was when she acted like a child. She was so mature, most of the time he forgot there was any age gap between them, but seeing her like this made him remember how much older he was, and frankly, he didn't care. He loved her no matter how old they were.

"Higher dad! Aria's gonna beat me if you don't push harder!" Malcolm shrieked, trying to push himself higher than Aria.

"Ezra! No fair!" Aria mock-complained as he pushed Malcolm higher.

Ezra laughed. "Hey, I can't make both of you win!"

Malcolm and Aria grinned mischievously. "Well, I guess you're going to have to pick one of us." Malcolm said.

"He's got a point. Who's side are you on?" Aria teased, high-fiving Malcolm when their swings came level with one another's.

"Hmm...who to choose..." Ezra said, pretending to think. Then, catching them both by surprise, he held out his arms and stopped both swings.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Both of them shrieked as they chased Ezra around the playground. Soon enough, Ezra had to catch his breath and his son and girlfriend attacked him. The three of them fell to the grass, laughing.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here!" someone sneered behind them. Aria and Ezra froze, immediately recognizing the voice, but Malcolm turned around, staring at the brown-haired jock. Before Aria or Ezra could stop him, he ran up to the boy.

"Hi! I'm Malcolm. That's my daddy!" he said pointing at Ezra. "Want to play with us?"

Noel looked between Malcolm and Ezra repeatedly and then looked at Aria for a moment, before resting his gaze on Ezra. "You have a kid?"

Ezra stared at Noel for a moment before responding stiffly. "Yeah."

"Wow! Because and I thought your relationship couldn't be any more messed up." Noel sneered.

"Back off Noel!" Ezra said, threateningly.

"And if I don't?" Noel challenged.

"Noel, what do you want?" Aria said, interrupting them.

Noel ignored her and turned back to Malcolm, who was still standing in front of him, looking slightly confused. "Hey buddy, you wanna know a secret?"

"Malcolm, come here." Ezra said to the eager little boy.

Malcolm looked between Noel and his father. He slowly started to back away from Noel, towards his father and Aria. Noel grabbed his arm to stop him, and Ezra got up.

"Noel. Let. Go. Of. My. Son."Ezra said, enunciating each word. He was standing in Noel's face now, but the teenager just laughed.

"And what if I don't?" he challenged.

Ezra's muscles tightened as he restrained himself from hitting Noel. Aria quickly moved between the two, trying to prevent something from happening. "Ezra, let's go. We don't have to deal with this." she said, glaring at Noel as she yanked his arm off of Malcolm's.

Malcolm quickly moved away from Noel once his arm was free and he went straight into Ezra's arms. Ezra picked him up and, with one more glare at Noel, he started to walk away. Aria started to follow, but then stopped.

"You're really a jerk, you know that?" Aria said, coldly.

"So I've heard." Noel drawled.

Aria slapped him. "Stay away from Ezra. Stay away from Malcolm. And stay away from me." she said, leaving a stunned Noel holding his cheek as she went in the direction of Ezra's car.

"Damn, that was awesome." Ezra said, grinning at her.

Aria rolled her eyes. "He deserved it."

Ezra leaned towards her. "That is one of the many reasons why I love you." he said before pressing his lips gently against hers.

"EWW!" They broke apart, remembering there was a seven-year-old in the backseat. Aria blushed, and Ezra couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked as he drove off towards home.

**Next chapter, there will be trouble in paradise. Sorry for the wait! March break is in a few days so hopefully I'll update more then. A HUGE shoutout to HarrylovesGinny09 who gave me the idea for this chapter! ****Shoutout to Brennan'Ezria Lover, who was the reason I updated today.**

** Don't forget to review, leave me you suggestions. Let me know what you want to happen next chapter. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Enjoy the chapter! :)**

Chapter 6:

Ezra and Aria snuggled on the couch, Malcolm already asleep on Ezra's bed.

"Honey, are you okay? You seem kinda tense." Ezra asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Aria said, smiling reassuringly. Ezra could tell that she was lying.

"No, you're not. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Does this have anything to do with what happened at the park this afternoon?" Ezra asked, reading her mind.

Aria sighed. "Maybe."

Ezra squeezed her arm. "Don't worry, Noel can't hurt you. Not while I'm here."

Aria sat up from where she was, snuggled against his strong chest. "But we don't know what he'll do. What if he tells the police or the principal about our relationship, and you lose your job? Or what if he tries to get to Malcolm again?" she asked, worriedly.

"I won't let him anywhere near Malcolm, or you. And he won't do anything to me. He already tried that once, remember?"

Aria remember how someone had planted test answers in Noel's locker and gave the principal an anonymous tip that Noel was cheating. It hadn't been either of them, it had been A, the stalker who was after her and her three best friends, Spencer, Emily and Hanna.

"We shouldn't underestimate him. There's a lot he's capable of." Aria warned.

"I know, but don't worry. I'll always be here to protect you." Ezra said, kissing her forehead. Aria smiled at him and leaned back against his chest.

**LATER:**

"Pssst! Aria! Are you awake?" Aria blinked a few times, as she felt a small hand shaking her arm.

"Mmm" Aria moaned.

"Wake up!" the whisperer said, impatiently.

Aria opened her eyes to see a pair of big, brown eyes staring at her.

"Malcolm? What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Can you make me breakfast?" he asked.

Aria looked up and realized she and Ezra had fallen asleep on the couch again. She slowly shifted to look at the clock without waking him. The red glow of the clock read 10:00.

Aria slowly got up, making sure not to disturb Ezra. "What do you want to eat?" she asked Malcolm.

"Could I have a bagel with cream cheese?" he asked.

"Sure, honey!" Aria put a bagel in the toaster and took out some cream cheese and orange juice. After pouring a glass for herself and Malcolm, and making breakfast, they sat at the table and ate.

"Aria?" Malcolm was staring at Aria.

"Yes?" Aria inquired.

"Who was that man at the park yesterday?" Malcolm asked.

Aria froze. She was hoping he wouldn't bring Noel up. "That was just...some that I used to know. He's not a nice guy, so stay away from him, okay?"

Malcolm nodded.

"Good boy." Aria ruffled his hair, which made him giggle. "So, want to help me wake up your dad?" she asked, winking.

Malcolm smiled mischievously and nodded.

Slowly the pair crept towards the couch, where Ezra was snoring peacefully, completely oblivious.

Aria held up three fingers, slowly putting them back down. When she was putting her last finger down, they pounced on Ezra.

"AH! WHAT THE-?" Ezra yelled, disoriented, until he realized what was going on.

"MORNING!" his attackers said, cheerfully.

"I'm so going to get the both of you for this." Ezra said, grabbing each of them by the arm, and pulling them closer. Aria and Malcolm shrieked, trying to run away.

"Oh no! He's got us!" Malcolm shrieked, gleefully.

Aria managed to free herself and ran, freeing Malcolm with her. Ezra scrambled up and chased them around the apartment. Malcolm had disappeared, but Aria knew he was hiding in the kitchen cupboard. Ezra finally managed to catch Aria and pulled her to him.

"I'm so going to get you for that." He threatened, playfully.

Aria widened her eyes in mock fear. "Oh no, I'm sooo scared. So what are you going to do to me?"

"Hmmm...good question. I could...make you watch that really boring documentary that you hate so much."

"Oh no! Please don't!" Aria laughed. "I've got a better idea." She stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms against Ezra's neck and pressing her lips against his.

"I think that could work." Ezra said before leaning in to rejoin their lips.

"EW!" Malcolm had come out of hiding and was now standing before them, nose scrunched in disgust.

Aria and Ezra pulled apart, and laughed at the little boy's expression.

"What about hugging?" Ezra asked, smiling.

Malcolm thought for a moment, and then slowly nodded. "Yeah, hugging is okay. But no kissing, okay?"

Ezra saluted him. "Yes, sir!"

Aria, who found this situation both hillarious and extremely adorable burst out laughing. Ezra and Malcolm stared at her with identical confused expressions, which made Aria laugh even harder, to the point where Ezra had to support her so she wouldn't fall over. Soon, Malcolm started giggling, and Ezra joined in, all three of them laughing like maniacs in the middle of Ezra's kitchen.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Ezra, shaking his head at his son and girlfriend, tried to compose himself as he walked towards the door. Aria and Malcolm sat down on the couch, trying to contain their giggles.

Ezra opened the door and the smile was wiped from his face. Standing before him was the one person who could take a perfect day, and ruin it within a moment.

"Hello, Ezra." the familiar feminine voice made Aria stand up and stare at the figure behind Ezra in shock. She could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Hello mother."

**Okay, first of all, I am sooooooooooo sorry for the wait. I've been REALLY busy lately and am trying to get back on track. Hopefully, I'll try to update my other story (We'll get through anything) in a few days, and this one by the end of the week (If I can). Anyways, I had some questions for you guys so please answer them in the reviews. I'd really like to know what my readers think:**

**1) What did you think of the chapter and the story so far?**

**2) What would you like to see in future chapters?**

**3) What did you think of tonight's episode of PLL?**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Without waiting for an invitation, Dianne let herself in. She walked straight towards the couch, stopping in front of Aria and Malcolm.

"Hello, Mrs. Fitzgerald." Aria said cautiously, while Malcolm only stared at her.

"Get out." Dianne said, pointing to the door.

"No. She's not going anywhere. This is my apartment, mother." Ezra said, trying to keep his anger in check.

Dianne sighed. "You were so much better with Jackie. I can't believe you let her go."

"Jackie?! She's a heartless bi- woman!" Ezra said, catching himself before he swore in front of his seven-year-old son.

"Hey Malcolm, let's go to the store and pick up some stuff for dinner." Aria said. She didn't want to leave Ezra to deal with his mother alone, but she couldn't let Malcolm witness this.

"Okay." Malcolm put his hand in hers and they started to walk towards the door. Ezra mouthed a quick thank-you to his girlfriend and she squeezed his arm reassuringly before leaving.

"Where's Maggie? Does she know her son's being left alone with a teenager?" Mrs. Fitzgerald smirked when Aria stopped in the doorway. Aria was about to respond but Malcolm tugged on her arm and they left.

"What is your problem?! Why can't you just accept the fact that Aria's a part of my life?_" _Ezra said angrily.

"I'm not going to stand by and watch her ruin you." Dianne replied.

"I love her." Ezra said, firmly.

"Oh yes! It's all about love, isn't it? Only, in this love story, you're the only one who's going to get hurt. She'll get off with a tap on her wrist, but you'll end up in an orange jumpsuit." Dianne replied.

"It would be worth it. And she's been through just as much crap as I have, yet she's still committed to our relationship." Ezra said, pointedly.

"But there isn't nearly as much of a risk for her as there is for you. Do you really think that if the roles were switched, she'd still be here?" Dianne asked.

"Yeah, I do." Ezra said.

"Then you're stupider than I thought. She's a TEENAGER! Girls like her are selfish, dumb and-"

"Don't you DARE say another word about Aria!" Ezra said, angrily. "I love her and she's not going anywhere. Now, if that's all, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have better things to do than hear my mother verbally abuse the woman I love."

"Actually, there was another reason why I came here." Mrs. Fitzgerald said.

Ezra sighed. "What?"

"I'm selling Maggie's house." Dianne said, smirking.

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Ezra said, shocked. "How can you even DO that?!"

"Simple. The house was bought under my name and I've been paying for it. The house is mine, and I'm choosing to sell it." Mrs. Fitzgerald said simply.

Ezra stared at her incredulously. "See, you do things like this, yet you still wonder why I want nothing to do with you."

His mother's expression hardened. "No, you left your family because you blood relations mean nothing to you."

"Right, because you do." Ezra said, his voice oozing sarcasm.

"I will not stand here and be insulted by my own son!" Dianne said, angrily.

"Nobody's asking you to stay. The door's right there." Ezra said coldly. He went to the front door and opened it, waiting for his mother to leave.

"This isn't the last you've seen of me." Dianne promised as she left.

Ezra slammed the door and went straight to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of scotch. He was about to poor himself some when he remembered that his son would be home soon, so instead he texted Aria, telling her that it was safe for her to bring Malcolm home. While he waited for them, he thought about whether or not he should tell Maggie about the house. He didn't want to worry her in case his mother was bluffing but he didn't want to keep her in the dark in case his mother was serious.

**LATER:**

"So why did your mom come here? Because I'm pretty sure my presence was an added bonus for her." Aria said, snuggling into Ezra shoulder. Malcolm had fallen asleep a little while ago.

"She wanted to tell me that she was selling Maggie's house." Ezra said, angrily.

"SHE WHAT?!" Aria shrieked, causing Malcolm to stir and she clamped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry" she whispered.

"And I don't know whether or not to tell Maggie. Because, if my mom's bluffing, I don't want to scare her, but if my mom's serious, I don't want Maggie to be left in the dark." Ezra explained, miserable.

Aria took his hand. "Maybe you should tell her. No offense, but I wouldn't put it past your mom to do something like that, and it's better if Maggie knows sooner rather than later."

"Maybe you're right. I'll talk to her tomorrow morning." Ezra sighed. He was not looking forward to that. "Could you watch Malcolm tomorrow, when I go?"

"Sure." Aria squeezed his hand. "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine." she smiled reassuringly.

Ezra smiled back and kissed her forehead. "You're the best."

"I know." she replied, teasingly.

Ezra shook his head at her. "Your humbleness is one of the many things I love about you." he teased.

"Why, thank you." Aria laughed, as she tilted her head up to kiss him.

**Anybody else worried about Dianne's threat before leaving? Don't for get to review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Enjoy the chapter! Don't forget to review! :)**

Chapter 8:

Ezra was in the kitchen, preparing breaking when Aria woke up.

"Morning sweetie." she said, smiling as she got out of bed.

"Good morning beautiful!" Ezra smiled back and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Aria went to wash up before breakfast and when she came back, the smell of pancakes wafted through the apartment.

"Mmm, something smells great." she said, happily.

"I made pancakes, and no, I didn't set anything on fire." Ezra said proudly.

"Wow! I never thought I'd see the day when _you_ cooked a meal." Aria teased as she poured them each a fresh mug of steaming coffee.

"I'm a man of many talents." Ezra said, laughing as he took his mug from her.

"Wow, and you even set the table with flowers! What a gentleman!" Aria said, laughing.

Ezra got up and pulled Aria's chair out for her in an over-exaggerated manner which just caused Aria to laugh even harder. When they had both calmed down, they sat down to eat.

"So what time does Malcolm get off school?" Aria asked.

"3:30. And I should be home by 7:30. Are you sure you're okay with doing this?" Ezra asked.

Aria smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I've babysat before, and Malcolm's a sweet kid. We'll be fine. I'll probably just take him to the park or watch a movie. or something. We'll be fine."

"Thank you so much for doing this! I don't know what I would do without you." Ezra smiled, gratefully.

"Don't worry, I'll always be here for you. Aria said, putting her hand on his knee. "Have you thought about what you're going to tell Maggie?"

"More or less. Umm...there's one thing though." Ezra said, uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" Aria asked, worried.

"Umm, I was thinking...if my mom does take her house, I was going to let her and Malcolm crash here until they could find a place to stay...I mean, Malcolm's my son and..." Ezra trailed off.

"Oh, umm...okay." Aria said, uncomfortably.

"Don't worry. Maggie isn't a threat. But she's a friend, and she had to raise Malcolm alone for seven year and I feel bad about that, even though it's not my fault. And my mom is the one who's taking her house so..."

"It's fine. Really. You can't just leave them on the streets." Aria said, trying to hide her true feelings about the situation.

"Hey, I love you. And nobody is ever going to come between us." Ezra said, pulling Aria closer to him. He knew her too well for her to hide her true emotions from him.

"I know. It's just...weird, I guess." Aria tried to explain.

"I know, but it'll be over before you know it." Ezra said, reassuringly. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers.

**LATER:**

Aria pulled up to Malcolm's school and looked for the little boy among crowds of little kids. After a while she spotted him talking to a few boys who looked to be his age. She was about to call him when she saw an older boy approaching the group. The boy looked to be about 10 years old and was taller than Malcolm and his friends. He went straight to Malcolm and shoved him roughly. As Aria watched, mouth hanging open, Malcolm fell to the ground and the older boy started walking towards him as Malcolm's friends ran away. Aria got out of the car and ran to the two boys.

"Hey! Get away from him!" Aria yelled, and everyone in the playground turned to stare at her. The ten-year-old boy looked at her with wide eyes and ran off. "Get back here!" She called, running after him, but the boy ran away and Aria ran to Malcolm to help him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Malcolm nodded silently, tears rolling down his cheeks. Aria pulled him into a hug, murmuring that it was okay, and that she'd make sure nobody would hurt him. Soon, Malcolm's sobs decreased to sniffles and Aria turned to examine him for injuries. He had a few cuts on his arms and a bad scrape on his knee but she promised him she'd fix it when they got home. They got up and slowly walked to the car, Malcolm limping slightly.

"Want to get some ice cream on the way home?" Aria asked, trying to cheer him up.

Malcolm nodded slowly. "Yes please." he sniffled.

Aria looked back at him for a moment. "Who was that boy?"

"Mitchell."

"Why did he push you?"

"He doesn't like me."

"Why not?"

"I accidentally dropped paint on him last week in art class." Malcolm said, hanging his head.

"Does he know it was an accident?" Aria asked, pulling up to the ice cream shop.

Malcolm nodded. "I told him but he's still mad at me. So he takes my lunch and hits me." he said, sadly.

Aria's heart went out to the little boy. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"He said if I told on him, he'd beat me up." Malcolm said, a fresh wave of tears rolling down his cheeks.

Aria pulled him into a hug. She had been bullied as a kid too, by Allison. She knew exactly how Malcolm felt. "Don't worry, buddy. Here's what we're going to do. When your dad gets home, we're going to tell him what going on, and then he's going to talk to your principal and make sure Mitchell doesn't bother you again, okay?"

Malcolm looked at her, fear in his eyes. "What if Mitchell beats me up?"

"He won't. We won't let him. I promise." Aria said.

Malcolm nodded slowly. "Okay. Thanks Aria. You're the best." he said, smiling.

"Thanks sweetie. Now let's go get some ice cream."Aria winked, and they walked inside, Malcolm's tiny hand holding Aria's.

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget to review. Let me know what you want to see in future chapters :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"hey hun. How did things go?" Aria asked, looking up from her laptop when she heard the front door.

"Umm...it could have been worse, I guess." Ezra replied.

Aria put her laptop on the coffee table and got up. She walked over to Ezra and put her hand on his back, comfortingly. "Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Maggie was a mess when I got there. It turns out, my dear mother couldn't wait to get the news out and she told Maggie that she has to be gone by tomorrow morning."

"Oh my God. That's horrible!" Aria said sincerely. She knew what it was like being on Mrs. Fitzgerald's bad side and, even though she wasn't Maggie's biggest fan, she felt for her.

"Yeah. She was hysterical when I got there. And my mom was just standing over her, watching her pack with this smug expression. I can't believe I'm related to that woman!" Ezra said angrily.

Aria rubbed his back, trying to calm him. "Hey, at least Maggie isn't alone in all of this. She has you, and Malcolm and, if she needs me, I'm willing to help out too." she said, smiling.

Ezra looked at her, surprised. "Really?"

Aria nodded. "Really."

Ezra smiled at her. "You are honestly the best thing to ever happen to me." he said, looking her in the eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her softly.

When they broke apart, Aria asked. "So is she coming tonight?"

"Yeah, but she insists on staying in a hotel. So she's getting settled there right now so Malcolm's probably going to be staying here a few hours longer than planned." he said, gesturing to the little boy, who was fast asleep on his bed, snoring softly. "Do you think you could watch him for just a little while longer? Maggie's car was too small to fit everything so some of the stuff is in my car and I have to drop it off." Ezra asked, his eyes pleading with hers to say yes.

Aria bit her lip. She had been planning on going to Spencer's in a bit. But she could reschedule. She doubted the girls would mind her being a little late "Sure, he's asleep anyway so I'll just work on my assignment for English." she said, gesturing to her laptop.

"Thanks! Love you!" Ezra said, kissing her forehead as he headed for the door.

"You too." Aria called back, just before the door closed. With that, she sat back down with her laptop and started working.

**LATER:**

"Aria?"

"Mmm?" Aria opened her eyes, seeing Malcolm standing over her.

"Where's my mom and dad?" he asked.

Aria sat up. She had fallen asleep on the couch, laptop still sitting on her lap. The time on her laptop screen read _11:00pm._

"Your dad came while you were asleep. He said that he and you mom had some work to do before coming home, so they'd be late. Don't worry, they'll be home soon." Aria said, reassuringly.

"I miss my mommy." Malcolm said. "I never go to bed without saying goodnight to her or daddy. She always tucks me in and reads me a story.

Aria bit her lip in though. "Well...okay, how about this. We can call you mom and dad and you can say goodnight to them. Then, I'll tuck you in and read you a story. How's that sound?"

Malcolm thought for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

Aria dialed Ezra's number and handed the phone to Malcolm. After a moment, Ezra picked up and the little boy talked to him, and then to his mother. Aria went to pick out a book for him while he talked.

"Goodnight mommy." she heard him say as she picked out a Robert Munsch book.

"All set?" she asked him when he came and gave her the phone before lying down. He nodded.

"Okay! Well, how about we read this?" Aria asked, holding the book up for him.

"I love that book!" Malcolm said smiling.

Aria started to read, but before she could get very far Malcolm stopped her.

"Aria?"

"Yeah?"

"Does my dad know about Mitchell?" he asked.

Aria shook her head. "Not yet. I was going to tell him but I thought that he should hear it from you."

"I'm scared." Malcolm said.

"Why are you scared?" Aria asked. It killed her to see the fear in his brown eyes, which were identical to Ezra's.

"Because I don't want Mitchell to beat me up. He said if I tell on him, he will." Malcolm said, a tear falling down his face."

"Don't worry sweetie, Mitchell won't hurt you. We're going to talk to the principal and she'll make sure Mitchell doesn't lay a finger on you, okay?"Aria assured him, wiping his tears away.

Malcolm nodded. "Will you be with me when I tell my dad?"

"Only if you want me to." Aria said.

Malcolm nodded. "Yes please."

"Okay. But he's coming home late and you have to go to sleep. I'll pick you up from school tomorrow, so just come straight to the car when you get off school. Then, tomorrow we can tell your dad what's going on, okay?" Aria said.

"Okay. Thanks Aria." Malcolm said, kissing her cheek.

Aria smiled and ruffled his hair. "No problem. Goodnight!" she said, smoothing his hair repeatedly as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

When she was sure Malcolm was asleep, Aria went to sit back down on the couch to watch TV when the door opened, and an exhausted Ezra walked through the door.

"Hey honey." Aria said, standing on her tiptoes and giving him a kiss.

"Hey." Ezra replied, smiling.

"You look like you could use some rest." Aria said gently, grabbing his coat from him and hanging it up.

Ezra nodded. "I'm exhausted. You'd be surprised how much stuff Maggie and Malcolm have. I think I gained some serious muscle from that." he said, flexing his arms, smiling that boyish smile that made Aria's heart race.

Aria poked his stomach. "Nope, you're still fat." she said, giggling.

"Excuse me?" Ezra said, pretending to be hurt as he lifted his shirt, making sure he still had abs.

"You heard me." Aria said, raising her eyebrows. "I could probably beat you in a fight!"

"You take that back!" Ezra said, pretending to be really upset.

"And if I don't?" Aria giggled.

Ezra lunged and tackled her to the couch. He pinned her arms down and sat on her legs. "You were saying?"

"Ow, Ezra! You're hurting my legs!" Aria cried. Ezra immediately got up and started apologizing.

Aria smirked and jumped onto his back. "Who's winning now?"

"No fair!" Ezra cried. "Cheater!"

"All's fair in love and war." Aria quoted with a laugh.

"Oh really?" Ezra chuckled. He stopped trying to get Aria off his back and, instead sat on the couch so she was squashed between his back and the couch.

"Evgwa!" Aria shrieked, her voice muffled from the couch.

Ezra chuckled. "I'll let you go if you admit that I'm strong and have rock-hard abs."

"Nweweh" Aria said.

"Well then, I guess we're going to have to stay like this. I'm comfy, are you?" Ezra teased.

"Fwih. Yow sgwogh ng gwal wogh hab ags" Aria said.

Ezra moved forward a little so she could talk properly. "What was that?"

He knew Aria was rolling her eyes at him as she sighed and said. "You're stong and have rock-hard abs. Now LET ME GO!" she said.

"Gladly!" Ezra said, getting off her.

"I can't believe you did that to me!" Aria said, pouting.

Ezra leaned forward so their faces were inches apart. "All's fair in love and war." he said, before closing the distance between them. Aria wrapped her arms around his neck and Ezra put his hands on her waist as their lips met in a passionate kiss.

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget to review :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! So first of all, I want to thank all of you for all the reviews. I read all of them and I respond to as many as I can. Enjoy the chapter :)**

Chapter 10:

"Aria, have you seen my keys?" Ezra asked, rushing. He was late and he still had to drop Malcolm off at school.

"Yeah, I saw them on the counter." Aria called from the shower.

Ezra's eyes traveled to the counter where, sure enough, his keys were sitting. "Thanks!...And Aria? Have you seen my wallet?"

"Couch." she called.

Ezra scrambled to the couch where his wallet lay, waiting to be put back in his pocket. Now where was his favourite coffee mug? "Aria, have you seen my-"

"Second cabinet on the left." Aria called, emerging from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her wet hair.

Ezra opened the cabinet where he found his mug. "How do you do that?" he asked in disbelief.

"Don't doubt a woman's skills." Aria replied with a laugh. "You're late, don't worry about Malcolm, I'll drop him off on my way to school."

Ezra sighed in relief. "You are a total lifesaver. What would I do without you?" he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Well, for starters, you'd be late." Aria said, laughing as she pushed him towards the door. "Go. And don't forget, you have to be home by 6:00 because Maggie called us for dinner at 7:30.

"Got it. I'll see you tonight." Ezra said, and with a quick peck on Aria's forehead, he was out the door.

"Malcolm?" Aria called.

"Over here! Have you seen my book?" Malcolm called from the couch where he was putting his socks on.

"It's on the kitchen table. We're leaving in 10 minutes, okay?" Aria said, running a brush through her hair.

"Okay. Found it. Oh, and Aria? Have you seen my left shoe?" Malcolm said, walking around with only one shoe on.

"In the closet." Aria replied, shaking her head. "You're just like your dad." she said with a laugh.

Malcolm giggled as he found his left shoe. He put it on his foot and soon enough, they were out the door.

"So, Malcolm. I was thinking that, since we're all going to dinner, you could tell your parents about Mitchell then." Aria said, looking over her shoulder at Malcolm as she drove towards his school.

Malcolm hesitated and then nodded his head slowly. "Okay. But you have to promise you'll stay with me when I tell them." he said.

"I promise." Aria assured him.

"Pinky swear?" Malcolm said, holding up his pinky finger, which Aria wrapped hers around.

"Pinky swear." she said, solemnly.

For the rest of the car ride, Malcolm seemed at ease, and he jumped out of the car as soon as Aria pulled up.

"I'll be waiting right here after school, okay?" she called through the car window.

"Okay!" Malcolm called back, running inside so he wouldn't be late.

Aria drove off, in the direction of her own school. She marvelled at how much she had changed because of that little boy. A few weeks ago, she was wishing he didn't exist, but now she loved him as though he were family, which he may very well be one day. She was still uncomfortable at the thought of being a stepmother at the age of 17, but she was making progress.

**LATER:**

Aria, Ezra, Maggie, and Malcolm sat around a table, waiting for their meals. They were in a nice French restaurant, making small talk, and Malcolm kept looking nervously at Aria. She smiled reassuringly across the table every now and then, but the little boy could barely stop fidgeting. Finally, with one last glance to Aria, he began.

"Mom? Dad?" Malcolm started.

"Yes, honey?" Maggie said, as they both looked at Malcolm.

"I have something I need to tell you." Malcolm said.

"What is it, buddy?" Ezra asked.

"There's this boy at school..." Malcolm started, then looked back up at Aria. She gave him a quick nod, and he continued. " and he bullies me. He always steals my lunch and hits me." Malcolm finished, looking frightened.

Maggie and Ezra were quiet for a moment, and then suddenly they were both speaking. "What's his name? How long has this been going on? Is he in your class? Did you tell you teacher?" The questions kept coming from both of them and Aria could see Malcolm getting overwhelmed, and, as promised, she helped him.

"Umm, guys? Give him a minute, let him breathe." Aria said to Maggie and Ezra, who both stopped talking and waited for Malcolm to continue.

Malcolm smiled at Aria and waited a moment before continuing. "His name's Mitchell, he's been bullying me for a month, I think. He's in grade 5. And he said that if I tell my teacher, he'll beat me up, but Aria said that you'll make sure he doesn't."

Ezra and Maggie looked at Aria. "You knew?" Maggie asked.

Aria nodded slowly. "I found out a few days ago."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ezra asked, upset.

"It wasn't my place. I encouraged Malcolm to tell you both, but it was ultimately his decision when he would tell you." Aria replied firmly.

"So you just stood by and let my son get bullied?!" Maggie asked, incredulously.

"No." Aria replied calmly. "I told him to sit near the teachers at lunch, and I always picked him up right at the bell the last few days. That's why I volunteered to pick him up."

Maggie was about to respond when Malcolm jumped in. "Mommy, don't be mad at Aria. She told me to tell you and daddy. And she bought me ice cream when Mitchell made me cry and she chased him when he hit me." He got up and went to the other side of the table, hugging Aria. She hugged him back, and pulled him onto her lap, resting her chin on his head.

Maggie was speechless for a moment. Then she said. "I'm sorry, Aria. Thank you for looking out for Malcolm."

Aria smiled. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Maggie smiled back, and some of the tension between the two women eased in that moment.

Ezra cleared his throat. "So do we tell the principal about this?" he asked Maggie.

Maggie nodded. "Yeah. I'll go tomorrow morning when I drop Malcolm off to school."

"Okay, sounds good." Ezra replied. He turned to his son, who was still in Aria's lap. "Don't worry, bud. We're going to make sure Mitchell doesn't bother you anymore, okay?"

Malcolm nodded. He looked up at Aria and whispered "Thank you."

Aria squeezed his little hand in response. For the rest of the meal, Malcolm refused to leave her lap, and Aria was totally fine with it. In fact, she was actually really happy that Malcolm liked her so much. He was a sweet kid, and it wasn't his fault that Ezra hadn't known about him till now. She still wasn't a big fan of Maggie, but mostly because she was intimidated by her. If not for the situation, Aria felt that she may possibly have liked Maggie. But then she saw how she and Ezra talked, and how comfortable they were around each other, and it brought knots to her stomach. Was she just paranoid or did Maggie still have feelings for Ezra? Aria decided she was being paranoid, and it helped that Ezra kept his hand on her leg throughout the meal, occasionally squeezing it so she'd look up and give her one of his boyish smiles that made her heart beat faster. Whatever happened, she knew they would get through this. She discreetly reached for Ezra's hand and they sat there with their fingers entwined, for the rest of the night.

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and let me know what you think :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

**Ezra:**

Ezra sat in his apartment, marking papers. Aria had taken Malcolm to the park after school so Ezra could work without any distraction. He kind of wished they were there at the moment because he definitely needed a break. He got up to make a fresh pot of coffee and rummaged through the fridge for something to eat. As Ezra pulled out some bread and bologna he noticed a sandwich sitting on the counter. He went over to it and saw a note on the edge of the plate.

_In case you get hungry while marking, here's a little something to make sure you don't burn the apartment down. ;) -xox Aria_

Ezra chuckled to himself. Aria really did think of everything. He was so lucky to have her in his life, and he really hoped that she knew how much she meant to him. Ezra walked over to his night table and stuck his hand under everything else until his fingers closed around a small velvet box. He opened it up and looked at the diamond ring nestled inside. He planned to propose to Aria the day she graduated, but that was still a few months away. He hated the waiting, but for Aria he was willing to wait a million years. He just hoped that she would say yes.

Ezra's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He quickly hid the little velvet box back in the drawer and went to answer the door. Standing outside was Maggie.

"Hey, am I too early to pick up Malcolm?" she asked.

"It's okay, Aria took him to the park so I could take care of some marking." Ezra gestured to the stack of papers. "They should be back soon, I'll just text Aria and-"

"No, it's okay. I don't mind waiting." Maggie replied.

"Okay. Come on in, have a seat." Ezra gestured to the couch. "Do you want some coffee?" he asked.

"Sure." Maggie replied, smiling.

Ezra grabbed two mugs and filled them with the dark liquid, adding cream and sugar. He handed one to Maggie.

"You still remember how I take my coffee." Maggie observed with a laugh.

Ezra shrugged and laughed."Force of habit I guess. If I remember correctly, you were the one that forced me to try iced cappuccinos when we went on that trip to Canada in high school. I still love those." Ezra laughed.

Maggie laughed. "Those have always been my favourite. Too bad, they're mostly in Canada." she said. "Oh, and do you remember on that trip, how you and Hardy made a bet that he couldn't handle the roller coaster's at Canada's Wonderland after eating three hotdogs?" she laughed.

"Yeah! And he threw up all over some random guy's shoes! That was hillarious. I still make fun of him about that sometimes." Ezra laughed.

Maggie sighed happily. "We had some great memories in high school. Do you remember that time you read me a poem? You tried to do a remake of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, but then you fell out of my tree and broke your arm. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard." Maggie said.

Ezra blushed. "I wasn't very co-ordinated in high school. But I remember parts of the poem. Wasn't it the one we were doing in English class in senior year?" Ezra recited a few lines from the poem with a small smiling curling at the edge of his lips.

"Yeah, that was it. I used to read that poem every night afterwards." Maggie replied, looking up at him. Before Ezra knew what was going on, Maggie kissed him. And, to make matters worse, Aria walked in just then, Malcolm a few steps away.

"What the hell?!" she said, just before Ezra was able to push Maggie off of him.

"Aria, it's not what-"

"How could you!" Aria said, angrily, before storming out of the apartment.

Ezra stared at her helplessly. He didn't fully understand what had just happened. Did Maggie really just kiss him. He turned to her. "What just...? Did you...? How did...?"

Maggie looked helplessly at him. " I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

Ezra just shook his head and ran after Aria. He saw her running to her car, and called after her. She ran even faster and drove away before Ezra could catch up to her. He pulled out his phone.

_It's not what you think. Please let me explain. -E.F._

**Aria:**

"What the hell?!" I heard myself say as I walked into Ezra's apartment and saw him and Maggie sitting on his couch, kissing. What was going on here?! I ran out of Ezra's apartment, nearly knocking Malcolm over in my haste to get out of there. I ran down the three flights of stairs and was almost at my car when I heard Ezra calling my name. I considered stopping, but I was definitely not in the mood to hear Ezra try to explain what just happened. I just needed to get away from there so I pushed my legs even faster and drove away from there as fast as I could, ignoring my vibrating phone that would most likely be Ezra. Now, here I was, recounting the story to Hanna, while eat what was probably my tenth brownie.

"Hmm, that sounds pretty messed up. But before you dump him or do something huge, hear him out. Maybe there's more to the story." Hanna said. "I mean, have you seen the way he looks at you? I don't think I've ever seen a man as hopelessly in love as Fitzy is." she said, and Aria rolled her eyes at her friend's nickname for him.

"I don't think I'm ready to hear his side of the story yet. At least not tonight." Aria said, finally pulling out her phone to see what he'd written.

_It's not what you think. Please let me explain. -E.F._

Aria stared at the text, internally arguing with herself over whether or not she should call him. She decided to wait until tomorrow. She was too angry to think clearly and wanted to give him a fair chance when he explained.

"I think I'm just going to sleep. Is it cool if I crash here for the night?" Aria asked.

"As if I'd let you leave." Hanna said, tossing a blanket and a pillow at Aria.

**Hope you liked the chapter. Don't forget to review :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

When Aria left, Ezra went back up to his apartment where Maggie was sitting, head in her hands and Malcolm was hugging her, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Malcolm, I think it's time for your bath." Ezra said, ushering the protesting little boy into the bathroom. He waited to hear the sound of running water before going to stand in front of Maggie, who looked up at him for a second before looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry." she said, quietly.

"What were you thinking?" Ezra asked, trying to keep his anger in check.

Maggie shook her head helplessly. "I don't know. I just...I don't know."

Ezra sighed heavily. "Maggie...do you...have feelings for me?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Maggie was silent for a moment. Then, she shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. Everything is so confusing and complicated, nothing makes sense anymore." she said, frustrated.

"Okay well, we need to get one thing straight. This..." Ezra said, gesturing between them. "It can't happen. I'm in love with Aria." he finished.

Maggie nodded. "I know and I'm sorry. I'm honestly just as shocked as you are that I did that." she said. "I think it's better if I just go home. Can Malcolm stay here the night?"

Ezra nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Maggie walked out of the apartment, barely mumbling a goodbye.

**Aria:**

"Aria! Come on, we're going out." Hanna shouted, waking her friend.

"No. I just want to stay in bed for the rest of my life." Aria said, burying her face in her pillow.

"I'm NOT going to let you lie in sweats all day, inhaling ice cream by the bucket. We're going to go out, do some shopping, get manicures and have some fun." Hanna said, pulling Aria by her arm.

"Han, please? I really don't want to do anything today."

"Except mope around my house." Hanna said, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you just talk to Ezra, already? He's called you at least 20 times since last night."

Aria kept her face buried in the pillow, not bothering to respond.

"Come on, Ar! I think the man deserves a chance to at least try to explain himself." Hanna reasoned.

Aria lifted her head slightly. "What if he says something that I don't want to hear?"

Hanna rubbed her best friend's back. "Well, there's only one way to find out. Besides, he loves you, everyone can see it just by the way he looks at you." she said, gently.

Aria smiled. Hanna was a lot of things, but nobody could say she wasn't always there for her friends. The girl always knew what to say to make her feel better.

"Fine, I'll call him." Aria said, smiling when Hanna cheered and hugged her, before leaving the room.

Aria sighed as she dialed the numbers that she knew by heart and waited while the phone rang. On the third ring, Ezra picked up.

"Aria?"

"Hi."

"Oh God. Aria, I'm so sorry, I can totally explain though. It really wasn't what it looked like, I swear. I would never-" Ezra rambled until Aria cut him off.

"Can we meet up somewhere?" she asked. She wanted to have this conversation face-to-face.

"Yeah. I just dropped Malcolm off at karate, so I can be at my apartment in 20 minutes. Is that okay?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah, I'll be there. "Aria said before hanging up. She walked to the door and opened it, not at all surprised to see Hanna fall face-first against the floor.

"Oh, um, Hey." Hanna said, red-faced.

Aria smiled for the first time that morning. "Han, you really need to get better at eavesdropping." she said, helping her friend up before wrapping an arm around her waist.

Hanna blushed. "Yeah...so how'd it go?" she asked.

"I'm meet him at his apartment in 25 minutes so he can explain." Aria said.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." Hanna assured. "Want some coffee before you leave?"

"You know I can't turn down a cup of coffee!" Aria said, and Hanna laughed. It was weird how just hearing Ezra's voice could make her smile, even when she wasn't sure what was going to happen.

***PLL***

Ezra pulled up to his apartment, seeing Aria's car already in the parking lot. He went up to his apartment and, sure enough, Aria was sitting on the couch waiting for him. She looked up when he arrived.

"Hi." she said, nervously.

"Hey." Ezra replied. "Do you want some coffee, or breakfast...?"

Aria shook her head. "I'm good, thanks."

"Okay." Ezra cleared his throat and sat down in front of her. The tension in the room was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. "About what happened yesterday..." he started.

Aria looked up at him.

"It wasn't what you think. Really."

"Then what was it?" she asked quietly.

"Maggie kissed me. I didn't even know what was going on, but she kissed me and then you walked in before I could react." Ezra said.

Aria stared at the floor, silent.

"Aria, I swear, I would never cheat on you with anyone. I love you, and nobody else could even compare to you." Ezra said, tilting her head up so he was looking into her beautiful hazel eyes.

This time, Aria looked straight up at him. "Ezra, she's the mother of your son, you have a special bond with her that you and I can't have for a while." she said, her eyes wet with unshed tears that were threatening to spill over.

Ezra took her hands. "Aria, what you and I have is something that nothing else could ever compare to. You're the one that I love, not Maggie or anyone else." he said and Aria could see the honesty in his eyes.

"You really don't have any feelings for her?" she asked.

Ezra shook his head, emphatically. "No. I'm yours, forever and always." he said, smiling at her.

Aria smiled back, looking deep into his ocean-blue eyes. She leaned forward and kissed him, pulling him closer to her and running her fingers through his hair as he put his arms around her body. After a moment, Ezra broke apart.

"I love you, and don't you dare ever forget that." he said, inches from her face.

Aria responded by closing the distance between them once again. At that moment, she stopped thinking about Maggie, Malcolm, and just about everything else as she escaped to a world of happiness with the man she loved most.

**Yay, happy Ezria. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to review. I need ideas for future chapter, so if you have anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to let me know by reviewing or PMing. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

"Shut up!" Aria said, sleepily, trying to turn off the alarm clock without looking up. She felt Ezra shift beside her as he reached over and felt for the alarm clock, turning it off.

"You know." he mumbled sleepily, lifting his head to look at Aria. "Saying shut up every morning isn't going to magically work one day." he said, chuckling.

Aria lifted her arm and punched Ezra.

"Ow! What was that for." Ezra said, rubbing his arm.

Aria's response was quiet snoring. She was asleep again.

"Oh no, you don't." Ezra said, sitting up and pulling Aria into his lap.

"Stop, Ezra! Let me sleep!" she said, annoyed.

"You have school." Ezra pointed out.

"Please? Five more minutes?" Aria pleaded, giving Ezra puppy eyes.

Ezra stared down at her for a moment. "Nope." he said, laughing.

Aria decided to change her tactics. She reached her hand up and pulled Ezra back into bed. She moved her face so that it was inches away from her own. "Just five minutes?"

Ezra was breathing deeply, trying to will himself not to give in. "Aria..."

Aria moved even closer, pulling her body against him. "Please?" she whispered.

"We're going to be late." Ezra said, trying hard to resist but he could feel his will power slowly giving out.

Aria wrapped her legs around his torso, and kissed his shoulder, slowly making her way up to his face. "Please?" she whispered.

Ezra couldn't take it anymore. He attacked her lips with his, pushing his body on top of hers. They kissed passionately for a few minutes until they had to come up for air.

"You're. The. Biggest. Tease. In. The. World." Ezra said, gasping for air before Aria pulled him back down and their lips reconnected once more. A few moments later, Ezra looked up at the clock.

"Oh crap!" he said, jumping out of bed. "We're late!" He rushed into the bathroom, took the quickest shower possible and ran to get his things. Aria had his breakfast on the table and zoomed into the bathroom as soon as he came out. They were out of the apartment in 20 minutes, each getting into their car and racing to Rosewood High. They made it just before the bell rang.

Aria sat in History class, texting Ezra.

_"At the speed we got ready in this morning, we have to have broken some world record. I think we deserve an award. :P" xox A.M._

Ezra texted back after a few moments.

_"You already got your award this morning, remember? ;)" -xo E.F. _

Aria laughed to herself.

"Miss Montgomery, is something funny?" Mrs. Welch asked, glaring at Aria.

"Um, no, sorry." Aria said, trying to look serious.

"If I see that phone again, I'm taking it away." Mrs. Welch warned.

"Yes ma'am. Sorry." Aria said, biting back her smile until Mrs. Welch turned around. As soon as she was facing the chalkboard, Aria turned back to her cell phone, being more careful to keep her expression neutral.

_You just got me in trouble, Mister! Wait till school's over...:P" -xo A.M._

Aria looked back up just as Mrs. Welch was turning around and pretended to be deeply interested in whatever she was talking about, while her mind was really on her phone which had just vibrated again. She waited until Mrs. Welch was writing on the board again before opening it up.

_"Why are you texting in class, Miss Montgomery? Don't you know better? ;)" - xox E.F._

Aria silently held back her laughter as Mrs. Welch turned back around. This class was going to be a long one.

***PLL***

"Hey babe." Aria said, shutting the door of Ezra's apartment. When she turned around, she was startled and somewhat embarrassed to see Maggie sitting on the couch and Ezra nowhere in sight. "Um, oops."

"Hi." Maggie said, smiling nervously.

"Where's Ezra?" Aria asked. She was still angry about Maggie kissing Ezra but she tried to stay calm.

"He's picking up Malcolm from school, he should be back any minute." Maggie replied, looking at her watch.

"Oh."

The two women sat in an uncomfortable silence, not really sure what to do. Aria could hear Maggie fidgeting with her bracelet as she texted Ezra, asking him how long he was going to be. His response came a moment later, saying he was just walking down the hall. Aria sighed in relief as she heard the apartment door open.

"Hey." Ezra said, walking over to the couch and sitting next to Aria. Malcolm followed right behind, going to sit in his mother's lap.

Maggie stood up. "Malcolm, we have to get going, we're going to Gramma's for dinner." She turned to Ezra. "Thank for picking him up."

"No problem." Ezra replied.

"Mom, can we go to Gramma's later? I want to play with Aria." Malcolm said, smiling at Aria, who smiled back at him.

"Honey, we have to get going, you can play with Aria some other time, okay?" Maggie said, grabbing her purse.

Malcolm ran to Aria. "Can you take me to the park tomorrow? Please?" he asked, giving her puppy eyes.

Aria laughed. "Sure. If it's okay, I can pick him up from school tomorrow?" she offered, looking up at Maggie.

Maggie thought for a moment, mentally going through her schedule. "Sure." she said finally.

Aria turned back to Malcolm. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, buddy." she said, ruffling his hair.

"Awesome!" Malcolm said, enthusiastically. "Bye dad! Bye Aria!" he said, giving them each a hug. Aria bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Gross!" Malcolm screamed, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand. "Girls have cooties!" he said, running out the door. Maggie waved as she left behind him.

When they were gone, Aria turned to Ezra. "He gets his charm from you." she teased, leaning up to give him a kiss.

Ezra pulled away. "Aria, didn't you hear Malcolm? You have cooties!" he said, chuckling.

Aria raised her eyebrows. "Is that so? Well then, I guess I'll just head home. Wouldn't want to infect you or anything..." she said, grabbing her purse and jacket.

Ezra walked towards her, taking her stuff from her hands and pulling her into his arms. "It's okay, I got my cootie shot." he said, laughing as he pulled her towards him.

"Good, because your going to need it." Aria replied, as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against him.

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I remember when I was in elementary school and every girl had cooties haha. Don't forget to review :)**

**Btw, if you have any ideas for this story, please let me know because I have absolutely no idea what to do with this story.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Aria woke up the next morning feeling sick. She had a really bad headache and she kept throwing up so she spent the day in bed. Ezra took the day off to take care of her and he was making her soup while she lay in bed.

"Ezra, could you grab me some Tylenol? My head is killing me." Aria said, moaning.

Ezra grabbed the bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water, taking them to Aria. He felt her forehead. "On the bright side, you don't feel warm so you don't have a fever. But you're on bed rest until I say so." he said.

Aria nodded. Then, her face turned green and she ran to the bathroom, throwing up. Ezra followed her, holding her hair back as she threw up. When she was finished, she leaned weakly against the bathroom wall. Ezra picked her up and brought her back to bed, tucking her in. Aria lay there for a moment, then her face turned white as she realized something.

"Ezra, what's the date today?" Aria asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Ezra thought for a moment. "The 25th? Why?"

Aria gasped. "Oh no! No, no, no, this isn't happening." she said, tears forming in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Why is the date so important?" Ezra asked, completely confused and very worried.

"Ezra." Aria said, looking up at him. "I'm late."

Ezra stared at her a moment, realization dawning on his face. His mind automatically went into panic mode but he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Wait, wait. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Let's not jump to conclusions yet, let's make sure." Ezra grabbed his jacket and keys.

"Where are you going?" Aria asked.

"I'm going to go buy a pregnancy test. We need to know for sure before we start freaking out." Ezra said, then came to stand in front of Aria. He bent down and looked into her eyes. "But whatever happens, we're in this together, okay? Don't worry." he said, kissing her forehead before leaving. Aria sat there in the silence of the apartment, dreading what was to come.

***PLL***

Ezra walked back into his apartment half an hour later, seeing a very nervous Aria sitting in bed. She looked up when he arrived and Ezra saw the fear in her eyes as he went and sat down next to her.

"I got a few different ones...just to be sure." he said holding up the bag.

Aria nodded and stood up, taking the bag from him.

"Aria, hold on." Ezra said, grabbing her hand before she went to the bathroom. She turned around. "I love you. No matter what that test says, that will never change. Whether it's positive or negative, I'll always be by your side." he said, brushing away the tears that had escaped her eyelids.

Aria smiled slightly. "Thank you. I really needed to hear that." she said, kissing Ezra gently. She went to the bathroom a moment later, Ezra coming in when she was waiting for the results.

"Ezra?" Aria said nervously.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"What if it's positive? I still have a month of high school before graduation, how am I going to hide this?" Aria asked, frightened.

Ezra wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's small body. "Well, whatever happens, we'll figure it out. You won't have to deal with this alone and I'll make sure we get through this together." he said, holding her against him. Aria buried her head in his chest and Ezra whispered soothing words into her ear, calming her rapidly beating heart.

A few minutes later, Aria's cell phone beeped, signalling that it was time to check the tests.

"Ready?" Ezra asked, looking down at his love.

Aria took a deep breath and nodded. "I guess so."

They stepped forward together and Aria reached for the first test. "One..."

"Two..." Ezra said.

"Three." They said together, flipping over the test.

**Uh-oh! Is she going to see a plus-sign or a minus? What's going to happen next? Don't forget to review :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**_Previously:_**

_They stepped forward together and Aria reached for the first test. "One..."_

_"Two..." Ezra said._

_"Three." They said together, flipping over the test._

**Chapter 15:**

Aria and Ezra stared at the test, not sure what to say. Finally Ezra broke the silence.

"Holy crap." he said, holding Aria against him.

"I know, I can't believe it!" Aria said, pulling away so she could look at the other two tests. They said the same thing as the first. "One thing's for sure. We definitely need to be more careful." she said.

"Definitely!That was a close one." Ezra said, sighing in relief.

Aria took the three tests and stared at the minus signs one last time to convince herself, before she threw them out. She went back to Ezra and leaned into his chest.

"You okay?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Aria bit her lip. "Yeah...I just, this may sound strange but, as scared and nervous as I was, I think part of me was excited. I mean, just the thought of our love making something so beautiful..." she trailed off.

"Don't worry, in a few years we'll have our own beautiful children." Ezra replied, sitting down on the bathroom floor and pulling Aria into his lap.

"Yeah, and we'll read to them and take them to the park, go to their school plays..." Aria said, smiling as she curled up against Ezra's chest.

"I can just picture a mini-Aria running around the house." Ezra said, chuckling. "She'll have your hazel eyes..."

"And your curly hair." Aria said, twisting a strand of Ezra's hair in her fingers.

"And your adorable laugh." Ezra said, tickling Aria.

"Ezra!" Aria squealed between her giggles. She grabbed his hands, stopping him mid-tickle and held them in hers. "You're going to pay for that." she said, smiling.

"Oh, am I?" Ezra said, raising his eyebrows. He pushed Aria playfully off his lap and stood up, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Ezra! Put me down!" Aria shrieked, pounding on his back, still laughing.

Ezra laughed. "No, I think I'll just let you stay like this for a bit." he teased, stopping and just standing there.

"EZRA!"

Ezra started walking, stopping in front of the couch and lightly tossing a giggling Aria onto it. As soon as she fell, she scrambled up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his face to hers in a passionate kiss.

When they finally broke apart, Aria's stomach grumbled.

"Someone appears to be hungry." Ezra teased, and chuckled as Aria blushed a deep scarlet.

"I didn't have time for lunch." she said embarrassed.

"How about I cook for you?" Ezra said.

Aria laughed. "I'm hungry but not _that_ hungry."

"Miss Montgomery, are you implying that I can't cook?" Ezra said, a mock-hurt expression on his face.

"Maybe..." Aria said, smiling.

"Well, I'll just have to show you then!" Ezra said, a determined look on his face as he walked into the kitchen, pulling some things out of the fridge and cabinets. "Just give me half an hour and you'll taste the best spaghetti in the world!" Ezra exclaimed.

"If you say so." Aria said, rolling her eyes. She plopped down on the couch and got comfortable. She figured she might as well enjoy the show.

***PLL***

"Oh my God!" Aria exclaimed, taking a bite of the spaghetti. "This is delicious!" she exclaimed, not even hiding her surprise.

"Why does that shock you? I'm an excellent cook!" Ezra said indignantly.

"Of course you are...you know, if excellent cooks were known for burning their toast." Aria teased.

Ezra rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Burn toast once and you're labelled for life." he grumbled, laughing.

"Or seven times...in a row...but who's keeping track?" Aria teased.

"Hmph, just you watch! One day I'm going to be a better cook than you!" Ezra exclaimed.

"And until that day." Aria said. "I will make fun of your cooking." she said, laughing.

Ezra laughed too. "You might be able to make fun of my cooking, but at least I'm not the one who snores." he teased.

"I do NOT snore!" Aria exclaimed.

"Yes you do!" Ezra replied.

"No way!" Aria said.

"I'll prove it to you one day." Ezra said.

"And until then, I won't believe you." Aria replied.

"Fine by me." Ezra replied, finishing off his spaghetti and taking his own plate as well as Aria's to the sink and rinsing them. "How about a movie before bed?" he asked.

"Sure." Aria said, going towards the tv and picking up a stack of DVDs. She picked one up at random, popping it in and going to sit on the couch, waiting for Ezra to join her. When he did, she curled up against him and they started to watch the movie. Soon enough, Aria was asleep and Ezra pulled out his phone, recording her snores that echoed through the apartment.

_I am never going to let her live this down_. Ezra thought, smiling as her rhythmic breathing and the warmth of her body lulled him to sleep.

**Hope you like this. I think that I'm going to end this story soon so there's not much more left. Don't forget to review! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Aria woke up the next morning, realizing she and Ezra had fallen asleep on the couch again. But she couldn't feel Ezra's body behind hers. Aria sat up and looked around. Ezra wasn't anywhere in sight. Aria got up, walking into the kitchen and finding a note.

_Getting breakfast, back soon. And get dressed, I'm taking you out after breakfast._

_-xoxo Ezra_

Aria smiled, wondering what Ezra had planned for the day. Knowing him, it was sure to be something really romantic. She walked to Ezra's closet, which was pretty much hers because most of the clothes belonged to her. She pulled out 3 different dresses; a purple one, a red one and a black one. She tried on all 3 and took a picture, texting them to Ezra.

_Which one? -AM_

_You look beautiful in all three xo -EF  
_

_lol aww, thanks hun. But u still gotta pick 1 :P -AM_

_hmm...the black one. It brings out your beautiful eyes. -EF_

_black it is. Any chance you'll tell me where we're going? -AM  
_

_Nice try, not a chance -EF_

_Worth a try. See u soon -AM_

Aria tossed her phone on the bed before changing into the black dress. She curled her hair and added a necklace with an owl pendant and hoops earrings. She was just putting on a jean jacket to complete her look when Ezra walked through the door, the smell of coffee and muffins wafting through the apartment.

"Morning handsome." she said, taking the items and setting them on the table before giving him a kiss.

"You look lovely." he murmured against her lips.

Aria pulled back a little and noticed that Ezra was wearing a light green dress shirt and pants. "You look pretty great yourself." she replied smiling.

Ezra gave her one last kiss before pulling back and handing her a cup of coffee. "Eat up, we have to leave soon." he said.

"And there's no way of getting you to tell me where we're going?" Aria asked, smiling.

"That would ruin the surprise." Ezra replied, flashing Aria his boyish smile that made her heart beat faster.

"Fine." Aria pouted, grabbing a chocolate-chip muffin from the bag and popping a piece into her mouth. "Mmm! These are amazing!" she sighed happily.

"I know. They're from that little bakery down the street. You should try the blueberry ones, they're even better." Ezra said, taking one out and feeding her a piece.

"Oh my God! These are heaven!" Aria exclaimed, taking another bite.

"Only the finest for my love." Ezra replied, chuckling.

They quickly finished their breakfast and Ezra insisted on blindfolding Aria before they left. Reluctantly, she agreed, allowing him to tie the blindfold over her eyes and guide her down to his car. They drove in silence, Ezra's hand in hers, occasionally squeezing. He pulled over after a bit and helped Aria out of the car, and they walked for a few minutes.

"Are we almost there?" Aria asked.

"Actually, we're here." Ezra said coming to a halt before taking her blindfold off.

"Oh my GOD! Ezra, it's beautiful!" Aria exclaimed, looking speechlessly at Ezra. She was staring at a wide area with green trees and grass, and a stream that flowed through. "How did you find this place?" she asked.

"I was biking around here once and I got lost and ended up here. I thought of you as soon as I saw it." Ezra said, taking Aria's hand. "Come on."

Ezra led her to a bench that had a red table cloth and a vase of red roses on it. There was also a basket that Ezra opened up, taking several items out. He pulled out some sandwiches, potato salad, apples, and a bottle of red wine.

"Aw, Ezra you didn't have to do all this for me!" Aria exclaimed, looking at the various items in front of her.

"I wanted to. You're definitely worth it." Ezra said, smiling his boyish smile.

Aria rolled her eyes. "You're extremely cheesy but I love you for it." she teased, leaning across the table to give him a kiss.

Ezra laughed. "What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic."

They ate their lunch, talking about school, friends, books, and just about everything else. When they finished, Ezra reached into the basket and pulled out a pint of mint chocolate ice cream.

"Oh my God! That's my favourite ice cream!" Aria exclaimed, practically jumping up and down in her seat.

Ezra laughed. "I know." he said, pouring some into a bowl for her and handing it to her.

"Mmmm!" Aria said, sighing contentedly. "This is why I love you."

"You only love me for my ice cream?! I thought our relationship was more than that!" Ezra joked, pretending to be offended.

"No, sorry Fitz, but my relationship with the ice cream is too strong." Aria teased, taking another bite.

Ezra snatched her bowl of ice cream away.

"Hey!" Aria shrieked.

"Sorry, only ice cream for the one I love." Ezra said laughing as Aria tried to reach for the bowl, but her arms were too short.

Aria pouted. "Fine. I love you, Ezra." she said, coming around from the table to sit in his lap, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in for a kiss.

Ezra kissed her back, then pulled away. "Much better." he said, feeding her a spoonful of ice cream.

When they finished their ice cream, Ezra reached into the basket again, rummaging inside.

"How much can you fit in one basket?" Aria said, laughing.

"Surprisingly, a lot more than you'd think." Ezra replied, pulling out an iPod dock. After a moment of fiddling around, Happiness by the Fray came on and Ezra got up, coming around to the other side of the bench and standing in front of Aria.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, holding his hand out to Aria.

"Of course." she replied, smiling as she took his hand and let him take the lead. They danced and danced, Ezra occasionally tripping over his two left feet, causing Aria to laugh. By the time the song ended, Ezra had fallen over and Aria was sitting on the ground, laughing so hard tears were in her eyes.

"Well, I may not be able to dance but at least I got to hear that beautiful laugh." Ezra said, moving a stray lock of hair from Aria's eyes and pulling her onto his lap, wrapping his strong arms around her. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Remind me to wear steel-toed boots next time we go dancing." Aria said, laughing as she kissed his cheek.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious." Ezra said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I try." Aria replied. She turned slightly, so she was snuggled into Ezra's chest. "This was a great surprise. I'm so glad I have you." she said, tilting her head up to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ezra's arms tightened around her and he pulled her closer, kissing her back. They broke apart a moment later, and Ezra picked Aria up from his lap and stood up, helping Aria to her feet.

"There's one more surprise waiting for you." he declared, heading back to the picnic bench, Aria's hand in his.

Aria raised her eyebrows. "Seriously, how much can you fit in that basket?"

"Oh, there's a lot that can fit in their, but that's not what we're getting. Turn around." he said, picking the blindfold up. Aria obeyed, and Ezra tied the blindfold around her eyes before taking her hand again and walking for a few minutes.

"Okay, we're here." he said, and Aria took her blindfold off.

"No way!" Aria said, shocked. She was staring at an adorable little boat in the stream with two life jackets. "You are officially the BEST boyfriend in the world!" she said, jumping into his arms and kissing him passionately. Ezra kissed her back with just as much love and passion, picking her up in his arms.

"I love you." Aria murmured against Ezra's lips.

"I love you too." Ezra replied, kissing her again. "Ready for more adventure?"

"Lead the way." Aria replied, taking Ezra's hand as he helped her onto the boat. They glided smoothly along the stream, the waves gently rocking the boat. They sat in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

"Aria?"

"Hmm?"

Ezra stopped rowing and stood in front of Aria, careful to keep his balance as the boat stopped rocking. "Aria, I've known you for over a year and the day we met, I thought "who is this girl." And even after I found out you were my student, although it took time and we went through so many obstacles, our love has grown stronger by the day. I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Ezra went down on one knee and held a little velvet box in his hand. "Will you do me the honor of marrying me?" Ezra asked.

Aria stared at him, tears in her eyes as she nodded. "Yes." she managed.

Ezra slid the ring onto Aria's finger just before she attacked his lips with her own. They kissed passionately, their mouths merging into one. Aria's hands were tangled in Ezra's soft, brown hair and his hands were on her waist, holding her against him. As they kissed, the boat hit a particularly rough wave, making the boat topple over, knocking Aria and Ezra into the water.

"HOLY CRAP!" Aria shrieked.

Ezra laughed, grabbing her arm. Aria held onto him as he guided her to the shore, both of them in tears by the time they reached the shore. Aria shivered from the cold water and Ezra wrapped his arms around her, cradling her against his chest.

"You okay?" he asked.

Aria nodded. "More than okay." she said, staring adoringly at the diamond ring on her finger. It was shaped like a heart, simple yet elegant. Perfect for her. "I can't believe we're actually getting married." she said, looking up at Ezra.

"I know, I can't wait till the day I can call you my wife." Ezra replied, staring lovingly down at her.

"Aria Fitz." Aria said, trying the name out. "I could get used to that." she said, snuggling closer into Ezra's chest.

As the couple continued talking about their wedding, they watched the sun set in the distance, turning the water in the stream orange, like lava.

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. There's one more chapter left (or maybe 2, not sure yet.) And I don't plan on having a sequel at the moment, but possibly later on. Let me know if you all want a sequel, and if you do, what do you want to see in it?**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

Aria stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror as Hanna put the finishing touches on her eye makeup.

"And...Voila!" Hanna said, moving away so Aria could see herself properly.

Aria gasped. "Oh my God! Hanna, I look amazing! Thank you!" she shrieked, hugging her friend.

Hanna laughed. "What can I say, I'm an amazing person." she joked. Aria hugged her again.

Spencer and Emily walked into the room, and stopped dead in their tracks.

"OH MY GOD!" Spencer shrieked.

"Aria! You look AMAZING!" Emily gushed.

"Thanks guys, you look great!" Aria replied. Her three best friends, and bridesmaids, were wearing pale blue dresses that went down to their thighs. Hanna had done all of their hair and make-up, of course. The three girls looked amazing.

"So everything's ready, and the ceremony should be starting soon. Are we all ready?" Spencer asked. She was the wedding planner, being the neat and organized person that she was.

Hanna nodded. "Aria's all set and so am I. I just have to touch up Em's lipstick and we'll be good."

"Okay, you do that now, and I'll go check to see that everything is in place. We're starting in 15 minutes." Spencer said, hurrying away, clipboard in hand.

"Aria, are you ready?" Emily asked, coming to sit next to Aria so Hanna could fix her lipstick.

Aria nodded. "I'm so excited. I can't believe that, in a few hours I'll be Mrs. Aria Fitz." she said, ecstatic. "We've been waiting for this for so long, and I just can't believe it. I've always dreamed of walking down the aisle and standing at the aisle with Ezra and, now that it's happening, it feels like dream."

"Aw! You're so in love it's adorable!" Hanna squealed, finishing up with Emily and turning to Aria.

"We're really happy for you. We all knew you two were meant to be." Emily said, squeezing Aria's hand just as the door opened and Ella walked in.

"Oh my baby!" she cried, rushing over to Aria and enveloping her into a hug. "You look absolutely gorgeous, baby girl." she said, tears in her eyes.

"Thanks mamma!" Aria said, squeezing her mother back, tears welling in her own eyes.

"Thank God the make-up is waterproof." Hanna said, laughing. Everyone joined in, just as Spencer came back.

"Okay you guys, it's show time!"

***PLL***

"Sweetie, you look amazing." Byron said, taking Aria's arm in his as he began walking her down the aisle.

"Thanks dad." Aria replied, staring ahead of her at the man she would soon call her husband. They stared at each other as she walked down the aisle, both smiling widely as the distance between them grew smaller and smaller until Aria finally made it to the altar. Her father gave her a kiss on the cheek before stepping back. Ezra took Aria's hands and they stood across from each other. They could see the love and excitement in each other's eyes as the priest talked. Finally, they got to the vows.

"The bride and groom have decided to say their own vows." the priest said, motioning for Ezra to begin.

"I, Ezra Fitz, take Aria Montgomery to be my lawfully wedded wife and I promise to always stand by her side through whatever challenges we may face. You are my B-26 and all I want is to spend my life with you and call you mine." Ezra said as Aria started to tear up. The priest motioned for Aria to speak.

"I, Aria Montgomery, take Ezra Fitz to be my lawfully wedded husband and I promise to always stand by his side through whatever challenges we may face. We've been through so much together and I can't think of any I'd rather have spent the past 3 years with. I love you and am forever yours." Aria said.

The priest nodded. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Aria and Ezra slowly leaned forward and pressed their lips together. The audience cheered and, when Aria and Ezra broke apart, they pressed their foreheads together, smiling from ear-to-ear.

"You look...wow!" Ezra whispered to his wife.

Aria giggled. "You look pretty wow yourself." she replied, before tilting her head to eagerly rejoin their lips.

***PLL***

Many of the wedding guests were on the dance floor, moving their bodies to the music being played by the DJ. Aria and Ezra sat at a table with the girls. Ezra stood up.

"Mrs. Fitz, may I have this dance?" Ezra asked, holding his hand out.

Aria smiled up at her husband. "I would love to, Mr. Fitz." she said, taking his hand and allowing herself to be led to the center of the dance floor.

As they began dancing, the DJ stopped the music for a second. "This next one goes out to Aria and Ezra Fitz. Congratulations and best wishes to both of you." he said, before putting on a slow song. But not just any slow song.

_Happiness is just outside my window_

_Would it crash blowing 80 miles an hour?_

_Or is happiness a little more like knocking_

_On your door and you just let it in?_

"You totally planned this." Aria said, smiling up at Ezra, who was looking down at her, his eyes filled with love.

"Guilty." he replied, and Aria giggled. "B-26 for my B-26." he said, leaning down to gently kiss her as their bodies moved in sync with the music.

"I love you Aria Fitz." Aria declared once they'd broken apart.

"That's good because I kinda love you too." Aria replied, as they moved to the music, not taking their eyes off each other for the rest of the night.

**Okay! So this is the end of the story! Don't forget to review! Hope y'all liked the ending. I'm thinking of making a sequel just not right away. I'll probably post the next chapter in a few weeks so stay tuned :)**


	18. BHG Note

**Hey guys! So I'm planning the sequel for BHG and I wanted to ask you all a few questions:**

**1) Is there anything specific you want to see in the sequel? Maybe something that you wanted in BHG but never happened?**

**2) Any ideas for a title? I was thinking that I want to include my readers as much as possible in this story so if you have any title ideas, let me know. I'll choose my favourite and that will be the title and the person who comes up with it will get a shoutout :)**

**I'm going to try to have the 1st chapter up soon, it's in progress right now so I hope you all like it! :)**


	19. Sequel is Up!

Hey y'all! So I promised to make a sequel for BHG and I just posted the first chapter! It's called Healed Heart and it's going to be centred on the readers so if you have any ideas throughout the story, let me know and I'll try to add in as many as I can. Happy reading! :)

-xox Sobia


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